Clutch mechanism.



I. E. SUDDOTH & W. T. s WEAVER. GLUTGH MECHANISM,

I APPLICATION FILED APB.17, 1909. I 951 43 Patentedfiune 7, 1910.

2 SEEETSSHEET l.

WITNESSES p V JNVEN ms 1 RANK UQDOTH ATTORNEYS FIE. SUDDOTH & w. T. s.WEAVER. GLUTGH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1909.

Patented June 7, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEE1' 2.

INVENTORS armmvers r P a s: r m Q t mp-bi with are ear-a l are FRANKEDWARD S'UDDOTH AND WILLIAM I. SHERIVLKN WEAVER,-DF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

CLUTCH. fll'lECE-IEtNISIlI.

cereals.

Application filed. April 17,

Specification of Letters Patent.

1909. Serial No. @0554.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK E. Snooo'rir and WILLIAM T. S. Weaver,citizens of the United States, and residents of Omaha; in the county ofDouglas and State of Nobraslra, have invented certain new and use fulImprovements in Clutch lvlechanism, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improvement in clutch mechanism, and consists incertain novel constructions and combinations of parts, hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanism especially adaptedfor automobiles, but equally advantageous in other ma chinery requiringa variable speed, whereby the relation of the speed of the driven meansto the driving means may he 'aried within the widest possible limits.

Referring to the drawings forming a. part hereof, Figure 1 is a centrallongitudinal section of the mechanism, Fig. 2 is a vertical section, andFig. 3is a reduced side view.

The embodiment of the invention shown, comprises a casing 1,cylindrical, in cross section and cup-shaped as shown, the end beingclosed by a disk which .is secured to the casing by tag screws 3. Boththe casing and the disk are provided with ex tended hubs t and 5respectively.

The inner end of the bore of the hub t is enlarged as at Z, and a.bushing 8 of brass. or other suitable material is received in theenlargement, while the outer end of the bore of the hub 5 is enlarged asat l) to receive an annular flange 10, of a bushing 11 insorted in thebore of the hub. A gland or packing nut 12, is also received in theenlarged portion of the bore, and a packing 13, is arranged between theend of the bush ing and the gland,'which is secured in adjusted positionby lag screws 14, traversing the flange 15 of the gland and the end ofthe hub.

-A shaft 16 is journaled in the bushings, and adjacent to the gland theshattis annularly grooved as at 17, the groovesv registering with anannular recess 18 in the gland. The gland is provided with alongitudinal passage 19, leading from the recess, the passage having itsouter end plugged as at '20, and communicating with a radial passage 21,which is connected by an elbow 22 with a nipple 23 projecting from alongitudinal passage 24 in the hub 5, and which com municates with areservoir 26 in the disk, to be presently referred to. The shaft 16isthe driving shaft, and a disk or cylindrical rotor 27 is secured tothe shaft within the casing, the external diameter of the disk beingsomewhat less than the internal diameter of the casing,.to form' anannular passage 28 between the inner face of the casing and the outerface of the disk. The rotor is hollow as shown and is provided with adiametrical web 29 in which is the bearin 30 torthe driving shaft. Ateach end 0 the web the peripheral face of the rotor is transverselyrecessed as at 31, and a wing or vane is arranged in each recess, thevane being normally retained in projected position by a spring 33,received in recesses 34 and 35 in the vane and the web respectively. Thevanes extend the full width of the rotor, and contact at their ends withthe side walls of the casing as shown in Fig. l, and at their free edgeswith the inner face of the casing, each vane forn'iing a fluid tightclosure of the passage.

A valve 36 is arranged in the annular passage 28, and transverselythereof and is movable radially of the casing in a guideway 37, in thecasing wall, and the valve is provided with a stem 38, extending throughan integral boss 39 which is externally threaded and engaged by a glandor packing nut 40.

A collar 4L1 is slidahly mounted on the hub 1-, and is provided with anannular groove 42,1501 engagement by the usual operating lever (notshown), and with a lug 43, to which is pivoted one end of an elbow lever4a, the other end being pivoted to the outer end of the valve stem. Itwill be no-- ticed that each end of the lever is slotted as at 4-6 andthat the pivot pins l5, engage the slots thus providing for a lostmotion connection. The casing is provided with a bracket 47, to whichthe elbow lever is pivoted. It will be evident from the description,that when the collar is movedlongitudinally of the hub, the-elbow leverwill be oscillated to move the valve 37 radially or the casing, wherebyto restrict the annular passage more or less, and the casing is providedwith spaced parallel guides or cams 4i? arranged transversely thereoffor preventing engagement of the vanes therewith, the cams acting todepress the vanes below the tree edge of the valve. The passage 28 isalso somewhat enlarged at this point so that when the valve is openthere will be no restriction of the passage.

The passage 28 is kept full of a light oil or other suitable fluid,which is supplied thereto from a pipe 49 connecting the passage with apump cylinder 50, threaded into an opening in the hub 5, and having aninlet 51, lea ing from the reservoir 26 before mentioned. The pumpcylinder is provided with a piston'52 passin loosely through a sleeve 53movable in a liearing 54 integral with the hub 5, and the outer end ofthe rod is threaded and engaged by a nut 55, while a spring 56 isarranged between the inner end of the sleeve and a collar 57 pinned tothe rod by a pin 58. The sleeve 53 has an integral boss 59, on which isjournaled a roller 60 by means of a screw having aplain portion 61within the roller, and a threaded The roller portion 62 engaging theboss. engages a cam groove 63 in a disk 64 secured to the driving shaft.

It will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 1 that the outer end ofthe bushing 8 is closed as at 65, and a stud shaft 66 is provided forsupporting that side of the clutch.

In operation, the valve 36 being in its open position, whereby not torestrict the annular passage 28, and the passage being supplied with asuitable fluid, the rotation of the driving Slliffif Ol member will haveno effect on the casing or driven member, there being no obstruction tothe free passage of the oil or other liquid, which moves freely in frontof the yanes. When however the collar H is shifted to move the valveinto the passage to obstruct the same, the moving oil meets. withresistance, which is transmitted td the valve, moving the same and as aconsequence the casing. A- part of the oil however passes theobstruction, so that only a part ofthe force exerted by vanes andtransmitted by the oil isimparted to the easing, which for thisreason'rnov'es at a lower rate of speed than the shaft. As the valve ismoved still vfarther inwardly the free passage of the oil is more andmore obstructed, and a gradually increasing moving force is transmittedto, the casing, until the passage is entire] y closed, and the casingand shaft unoved in unison, Any oil escaping from j'the casing mustpassout through the bushing 11, and will finally reach the 'grooves l'land recess 18, from ,whence 1t will pass to--thc reservoir 26; From thereslervoir it is drawn by the pumpto return to the casing through the.pipe 49. The pump will be operated only when there is a difi'erence inspeed between the shaft and the casmg.

as one p ece, and consequently the position of the roiler in the grooveis not varied. As'

long as the casing is full, thepistor will Vvhe'n theii speed is equal,they move not reciprocate, the. movement of the'sleeve being absorbed bythe spring 56, which is sufficiently strong to hold the piston againstthe pressure of the oil in the pump cylinder, provided the pressure inthe outlet pipe is below a predetermined value. When this value isattained the piston ceases to operate.

The passage 21 is provided with a check valve 67 to prevent the'fluidfrom passing into said passage on the down stroke of the piston, and therecesses 31 of the web, are both provided with a groove 68 opening intothe annular passage;

I claim:

1. A mechanism of the class described comprising a casing having asubstantially cylindrical bore, a driving shaft journaled 1n the casing,a cylindrical rotor on the shaft and having its outer, surface" spacedapart from the inner surface ofthe casing, to form an annular passagefor containing a fluid, said rotor being provided on its periphery withtransverse radial recesses, vanes seated in the recesses and mounted toyield inwardly, and normally closin the annular passage, a valve movableradially of the casing, and closing the annular passage when in theinnermost position, means for moving the valve, cams on the casingfor'engaging and depressing the vanes into the recesses, whereby toavoid contact of the valve therewith, a reservoir, means for conductingthe leakage of the casing to the reservolr, a pump for withdrawing thefluid from the reservoir and returning it to the,casing, a connectionbetween the pump piston and the driving shaft, and a spring interposedin the connection and adapted to yield when the pressure in the pumpexceeds a predetermined value.

2. A mechanism of the class described comprising a casing having asubstantially cylindrical bore, a driving shaft journaled in the casing,a cylindrical rotor on the shaft and having itsouter surface spacedapart from the inner surface of the casing, to form an annular passagefor containing a fluid, said rotor being provided on its periphery withtransverse radial recesses, vanes seated in the recesses and mounted toyield inwardly, and normally closin the annular passagc, a valve movableradially of the casing, and closing the annular passage when in theinnermost position, means for moving the valve, cams on the casing forengaging and depressing the vanes into the recesses, whereby to avoidcontact of the valve therewith, a reservoir, means for conducting theleakage of the casing to the reservoir, means for withdrawing the fluidfrom the reservoir and easing, a connection between the driving shaftand said means for operating the-same,

and a spring interposed in the connection returning it to the andadapted to yield when the pressure in the casing attains a predeterminedvalue.

,3. In a fluid clutch, a cylindrical casing for containing a fiuid andprovided with opposite end bearings a driving'shaft jour naled in thebearings, vanes radially movable with respect to the shaft, springs forsupporting the vanes, manually operated means for restricting theannular passage between the shaft and the inner wall of the casing forthe purpose set forth, one of said bearings being closed at its outerend. an an nular recess at the other end for receiving leakage from thecasing through the open bearing, a reservoir to which the recessdelivers, a pump for withdrawing the leakage from the reservoir andreturning it to the casing. and means operated by the ditferenee inspeed between the shaft and the casing for operating the pump.

4. In a fluid clutch, a cylindrical -asing for containing a fluid andprovided with upposite end bearings. a .driving shaft journaled in thebearings, vanes radially movable with respect to the shaft. springs forsupporting the vanes, manually operated means for restrictingthe'annu'lar passage between the shaft and the inner wall of the casingfor the purpose set forth, one of said bearings being closed at itsouter end. an annular recess at the other'end for receiving leakage fromthe casing through the open bearing, a

reservoir to which the recess delivers, a pump for withdrawing theleakage from the reservoir and reiirning it to the casing, meansoperated by the difi'erence in speed between the shaft and the casingfor operating the pump, and means between the pump and the operatingmeans for permitting the pump to cease acting when the pressure in thecasing exceeds a predetermined value.

5. In a fluid clutch, a casing for containing the fluid, and providedwith op ositely arranged bearings, a driving sha t journaled in thebearings, 21 fiuid o erated means for connectingthe shaft witi thecasing,

one of said bearings being closed atits outer end, means at the outerend of the other bearing for; receiving the leakage from the 'casin a umfor withdrawim said leakage and returning itto the casing, meansoperated by the ditl'erence in speed between the shaft and the casingfor op rating the pump, and means between the pump and the operatingmeans for permitting the pump to cease acting when the pressure in thecasing exceeds a predetermined value.

FRANK EDWARD SUDDOTH, WILLIAM 'l. SHERMAN WEAVER. \Yitnesses:

Fem). KUNES, \V. I \VAIIL.

